Brazil set to challenge USA for 2010 berth at Men's World Championship

STEVENS POINT, USANovember 23, 2009

The four-sheet Grafton Curling Club in Grafton, N.D., will host a challenge between USA and Brazil on Feb. 5-7 for the final North American berth at the 2010 Capital One World Men's Curling Championship in Cortina, Italy.

2009 Americas Challenge – BRA-USA Photo: Rick Patzke/USCA

Brazil issued its second challenge against the United States for the berth and will get the opportunity to earn it in a best-of-five competition spread over three days in February. Last year in Bismarck, N.D., Todd Birr's team easily defeated the Brazilians in three straight games to earn the berth for the U.S. at the 2009 Ford Worlds in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Once again, the top men's team in the U.S. Order of Merit based on this season's competition results as of Dec. 31 that has already qualified for the 2010 USA Curling National Championships will represent the USA. Teams begin qualifying for the Nationals Jan. 5-10 at four Qualifying Round Events across the U.S. Teams that don't advance to the Nationals from the Qualifying Round will have a second chance to earn a berth at the Challenge Round, also being held in Grafton, Feb. 4-7 (and not to be confused with the World Curling Championship Challenge).

Twelve teams compete at both the men's and women's World Curling Championships each year. Two teams represent the Americas Zone, encompassing both North and South America. Since the inception of the world championships, the only two World Curling Federation Member Associations to represent the Americas have been Canada and the United States.

Canada has qualified for the 2010 Worlds because they ranked higher at the completion of the 2009 Worlds (Canada finished second to USA's fifth-place showing). Brazil, a WCF member since 1998, is challenging the U.S. for the second Americas berth in Cortina.

All five Brazilian nationals are currently training in Quebec, Canada, at the Lennoxville Curling Club.